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☆ When Coco Gauff and Zendaya Need Tennis Tips, They Ask Brad Gilbert
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Brad Gilbert — tennis junkie, junkballer, commentator, coach of legends — had roughly seven minutes to trade his coaching hat for a microphone, to shift from helping Coco Gauff manage her third-round match Friday night to interviewing Novak Djokovic in the tunnel before his. That match, by the way, ended just after 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, and Gilbert had spent Friday afternoon calling matches before heading to Gauff’s courtside box. It was well after 2 a.m. when he got back to the New York LaGuardia Airport Marriott. Then he spent an hour analyzing the video of the match that Gauff’s next opponent, Caroline Wozniacki, had won that afternoon. Andre Agassi had him at his side when he won the U.S. Open in 1994, as did Andy Roddick, in 2003.

Persons: Brad Gilbert —, —, Coco Gauff, Novak Djokovic, Gilbert, Gauff’s, Caroline Wozniacki, “, ” Gilbert, Billie Jean King, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick Organizations: New York LaGuardia, Marriott, a.k.a, Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, U.S

☆ Caroline Wozniacki Is Getting Very Good at Comebacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A new you, or perhaps a better version of the old you, is just around the corner. So perhaps it’s fitting that comebacks have featured so prominently in the first days of the U.S. Open. Some have gone well — Caroline Wozniacki, Elina Svitolina, Stan Wawrinka, Jennifer Brady. Others — Venus Williams, who suffered an opening night drubbing — not so much. “It’s the competition,” said Brady, 28, who is rediscovering her form following two injury-plagued and mentally grueling year.

Persons: Caroline Wozniacki, Elina Svitolina, Stan Wawrinka, Jennifer Brady, Venus Williams, “, ”, Brady Organizations: U.S .

☆ The One-Handed Backhand Is on the Way to Extinction
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Not so long ago, the top ranks of the sport, especially the men’s game, had no shortage of one-handed backhands. Among the top 10 men now, only Stefanos Tsitsipas plays with a one-handed backhand. In more immediate terms, it has been a mostly terrible first week for one-handed backhands in the singles competitions at the U.S. Open. But Tsitsipas, Thiem, Eubanks and Maria all lost in the first days of the tournament. So did Lorenzo Musetti, the rising Italian whose silky one-handed backhand can make tennis cognoscenti drool.

Persons: Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem, Tatiana Maria, Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov, “ I’m, that’s, ” Wawrinka, Tomas Etcheverry, Thiem, Eubanks, Maria, Lorenzo Musetti, drool, Carlos Alcaraz, Musetti Organizations: U.S . Locations: Argentina

☆ A Grand Slam Rite of Passage: Be Young, Burn Bright, But Not for Long
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It happens every year in tennis. A young, bright-eyed player with fistfuls of skill and promise wins a match or two at a Grand Slam, and all of a sudden, the next big thing has arrived. And here we are once more, just a few days into the year’s final Grand Slam, with no shortage of chatter about Arthur Fils, the gallant, 19-year-old Frenchman, who a year ago was battling to get within sniffing distance of the top 300. Now he is ranked 48th in the world and won his first match at a Grand Slam — on his third try — on Tuesday. On a field court in front of bleachers teeming with in-the-know spectators desperate for a glimpse of the future, Fils outlasted Tallon Griekspoor, the 24th seed, in five sets.

Persons: Billie Jean King, Donald Young, Ryan Harrison, Arthur Fils, Frenchman, Fils, Tallon Griekspoor Organizations: Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

☆ Tommy Paul the Man Finally Catches Up to Tommy Paul the Tennis Talent
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

She and her husband live on a small farm in South Jersey, with two horses, eight sheep and various other animals. Paul and his older sister started spending every afternoon playing tennis at the health club. Beating his sister, who would go on to play collegiate tennis, was his earliest goal. MacMillan said that when Paul started playing — and winning — tournaments at age 6, he barely knew the rules or how to keep score. “He just loved to hit the ball.”That love never faded, even as Paul played plenty of baseball and basketball before focusing exclusively on tennis when he was about 13.

Persons: ”, Jill MacMillan, Stefano Travaglia, Paul, Grandma Betty —, —, MacMillan, “ Locations: Italy, South Jersey, Greenville, N.C

Benton was at Tiafoe’s match on Monday and has been in contact with him over the summer. “He’s a little —” Benton paused and with his arms imitated someone who was experiencing the inevitable weight of expectations, the biggest of which are those Tiafoe has set for himself. A typical Tiafoe sequence occurred Monday during a tight second set against Tien. With the score knotted at 4-4, Tien rose and twisted and snapped a backhand overhead that looked like a certain winner. Then he did his trademark frozen stare into the crowd, his cue for the fans to get loud.

Persons: Benton, “, ” Benton, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, Tien, Tiafoe Organizations: Australian, Tien Locations: Houston, Stuttgart, Germany, Wimbledon

☆ Carlos Alcaraz Is Bending Tennis to His Will and Taking Over the Game
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“And now every player knows if he is going to compete with him, he’s going to have to do that as well.”Alcaraz knows that better than anyone. He wants to win spectacularly, showcasing his power and speed and touch from everywhere on the court. “It’s dynamic,” Alcaraz has said time and again of his style. Each took a turn or two redrawing the tennis court to suit his style. First came Federer’s supreme and unmatched shotmaking, which ran into Nadal’s power and competitive fire, which ran into Djokovic’s relentless defense and angular creativity, which ran into Murray’s magical touch and movement.

Persons: ” Djokovic, ”, David Nainkin, he’s, ” Alcaraz, Alcaraz, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic, Andy Murray Organizations: United States Tennis Association, “

☆ The Suddenly Hot ‘Coco and Jessie Show’ Is Ready to Open in New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Even the path that you want for yourself may not happen.”Pegula, 29, has come to this moment from the opposite end. A classic late-bloomer who doesn’t have the height or obvious athleticism of many of the best women, she did not crack the top 100 until she was 25 years old. Now she is ranked third in the world, yet she often goes unmentioned in discussions of the world’s best players. As the U.S. Open gets underway, American tennis is riding high on optimism. The U.S. is the only country with two women in the top six.

Persons: ”, Gauff, “, ” Pegula, bloomer, doesn’t, I’m, Serena Williams, Frances Tiafoe Organizations: Wimbledon, U.S . Open Locations: Harlem, U.S

☆ Novak Djokovic, Back in New York and Loving It as Never Before
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“The matches are going to get tougher, more demanding as the tournament progresses,” he said between bites. He has become the elder legend of the sport and solidified his status as the greatest player of the modern era. Djokovic prevailed in their first match at the French Open, where Alcaraz succumbed to stress-induced cramping, but lost in five thrilling sets in the Wimbledon final. Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner of Italy and Holger Rune of Denmark, he said, are members of a generation that unapologetically believes it is capable of beating him to win big tournaments. “My role nowadays is to prevent them from that,” he said with the sly grin that has become a late-career trademark.

Persons: ”, I’m, Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alcaraz, Italy, Holger Rune of Denmark Organizations: Alcaraz, Wimbledon Locations: Spanish, U.S

☆ Alcaraz Wins Wimbledon in a Thrilling Comeback Against Djokovic
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After years of false starts, men’s tennis finally has a proper war between the generations. Besides chasing the Grand Slam, Djokovic was aiming to extinguish the dreams of another heralded upstart challenging his hold on the game, which, so far, has amounted to 23 Grand Slam tournament titles. Alcaraz won the U.S. Open last year in thrilling, acrobatic fashion, serving notice that men’s tennis was going to be shaken up by an unusual talent. This year, he withdrew from the Australian Open to nurse an injury and was defeated by Djokovic in the semifinals at the French Open. “It’s great for the new generation,” Alcaraz said, “to see me beating him and making them think that they are capable to do it.”

Persons: Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz, “, ” Alcaraz, ” Organizations: Court, U.S, Djokovic Locations: England

☆ Marketa Vondrousova Wins Wimbledon and Her First Grand Slam Title
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic became one of the most unlikely Wimbledon champions Saturday, beating Ons Jabeur, a trailblazing Tunisian, in straight sets. Vondrousova, 24, became the first unseeded player to win Wimbledon and the latest in a long line of Czech-born women to lift the most important trophy in the sport, going back to Martina Navratilova’s domination of Wimbledon in the 1980s, after Navratilova had defected to the United States. Like Navratilova, who was watching from a box, Vondrousova is a left-handed player with a nasty slice serve that she used throughout the afternoon in the tensest moments when Jabeur tried to take control of the match or mount yet another comeback. The similarities with Navratilova, an aggressive serve-and-volleyer who burst into the sport as a teenager, mostly end there.

Persons: Marketa, Martina Navratilova’s, Navratilova, Jabeur Organizations: Wimbledon, Saturday Locations: Czech Republic, Tunisian, Czech, United States

☆ Novak Djokovic Relaxes, and Lands in Another Wimbledon Final
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Six months ago, having just won the Australian Open one year after being deported from the country, Novak Djokovic collapsed in the arms of his family and his coaches in a moment of strained ecstasy. He had drawn even with Rafael Nadal in the race for most Grand Slam singles titles. 23 and jetted off to the Azores for a hiking vacation with his wife. Gone is the pugnacious battler carrying around a career full of angst. His default facial expression, something like an inquisitive scowl, has been replaced with a relaxed grin.

Persons: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roland Garros Locations: Azores

☆ Jabeur and Vondrousova Finesse Way to Wimbledon Final
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For a set and a half, Sabalenka overpowered Jabeur, and she got within two games of advancing to the final and taking the top ranking. But down a set and by 4-2 in the second, Jabeur dug in. “Crazy match,” said Jabeur, a groundbreaking figure for the Arab world. “One more match to go.”In Vondrousova, Jabeur will face an opponent with a deceptively slim résumé but a penchant for ruining sentimental narratives. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Vondrousova eliminated Naomi Osaka, the national hero and international star who lit the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony, on her way to winning a silver medal.

Persons: Elina Svitolina, Aryna, Sabalenka, Jabeur, Marketa, ”, Vondrousova, Naomi Osaka Organizations: Wimbledon, Aryna Sabalenka, Court, Tunisian, Tokyo Locations: Ukraine, Belarusian, Belarus, Sabalenka, Czech Republic

☆ A Bond Villain’s Lair in the Hamptons? That’s Only the Half of It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Tim Mckeough | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The experimental midcentury-modern architecture of the Hamptons has long been a source of fascination to many in the design world — including Timothy Godbold, an interior designer based in Southampton, N.Y. So in the fall of 2019, when he noticed an unusual modernist house in town listed for sale, he was intrigued. But the interior was dated and the weathered-cedar exterior had been repaired with mismatched boards, so the house had languished on the market. “It was really quirky, and it was a really good price,” Mr. Godbold, 55, said. “The shape of the house was so incredible, but the different shades of wood were distracting to the eye.

Persons: Timothy Godbold, Eugene L, Futterman, Mr, Godbold, “, ’ ”, ” Organizations: Hamptons Locations: Southampton, N.Y

☆ At Wimbledon, the Human Eye Keeps Dropping the Ball
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jiri Lehecka had to play a fifth set and essentially win his third-round match twice. Hawk-Eye Live, an electronic line calling system, could have saved the players their set, even their match, but Wimbledon doesn’t use it to its full extent, preferring a more traditional approach. The people for whom the information is most important — the players and the chair umpire, who oversees the match — must rely on the line judge. When the human eye is judging serves traveling around 120 m.p.h. and forehand rallies faster than 80 m.p.h., errors are bound to happen.

Persons: Andy Murray, Bianca Andreescu, Jiri Lehecka Organizations: Wimbledon, All England Club

☆ Wimbledon’s Grass Leaving Some Players Feeling ‘Bad at Tennis’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Casper Ruud, the three-time Grand Slam tournament finalist, took a nontraditional approach to getting ready for Wimbledon, which is widely considered the most prestigious tournament in tennis. It included attending more concerts featuring his favorite singer, the Weeknd, than playing actual tennis matches on grass. Unsurprisingly, Liam Broady, a 29-year-old journeyman from Britain who is ranked 142nd in the world, knocked Ruud out in the second round on Thursday. Ruud, ranked No. Everyone from Rod Laver to Martina Navratilova has said they came to Wimbledon to connect with the roots of the sport.

Persons: Casper Ruud, Liam Broady, Ruud, ” Ruud, Broady, Rod Laver, Martina Navratilova Organizations: Wimbledon Locations: Britain

☆ He Nearly Gave Up on Tennis to Sell Insurance. Then a Friend Called.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Even his text messages to her came at the same time each day, including his check-ins about their two golden doodles, Tucker and Moose. “There was no way I was going to mess that up.”The final matched Krajicek and Dodig against Sander Gillé and Joran Vliegen of Belgium. Krajicek and Dodig seized control at the start and never gave it up. She Facetimed him as soon as the ball landed so that when he looked at his phone, he would see she had called. He reminded her of all the times he had wistfully said he was going to get to the top.

Persons: Tucker, Moose, Krajicek, “, ” Kedzierski, Dodig, Sander Gillé, Kedzierski, wistfully Organizations: Wimbledon Locations: Paris, Belgium, Dallas, Europe

☆ Bum Knees, Stress Fractures and Mental Anguish. Oh, Canada.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Matthew Futterman | More About Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It may be a little hard to remember, with all the injuries, career detours and mystifying losses, but there was a time when everything seemed possible for Canadian tennis. Every time a tennis fan looked up, it seemed, another wildly talented or gritty Canadian had made a Grand Slam final. Bianca Andreescu even won one, beating Serena Williams in the 2019 U.S. Open when she was still a teenager, playing with a style so creative she left tennis aesthetes drooling. Lately, with all the bum knees (Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime), stress fractures (Leylah Fernandez) and the mental anguish (Milos Raonic and Andreescu) that so many players struggle with these days, even Fernandez’s improbable run to the 2021 U.S. Open final can feel like it was a long time ago. And then there was a day like Wednesday at Wimbledon, with the rain finally going away long enough for outdoor tennis to happen, for Shapovalov and Raonic to show why there had been so much fuss in the first place.

Persons: detours, Bianca Andreescu, Serena Williams, Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger, Leylah Fernandez, Milos Raonic, Shapovalov, Raonic, Eugenie Bouchard Organizations: aesthetes, Wimbledon

☆ Carlos Alcaraz Has Been Studying the Grass Court Masters. That Means Andy Murray.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Carlos Alcaraz took a little time to rest after coming up short in the French Open last month, and then he embarked on the next step toward strengthening one of the few remaining weaknesses in his tennis development — playing on grass. For Alcaraz, the 20-year-old world No. 1, that meant getting enough training sessions and matches on the surface that is at once the most traditional and most quirky in the sport. It also meant hours of watching videos of Andy Murray, the two-time Wimbledon champion and one of the masters of grass court tennis. Alcaraz has never advanced past the round of 16 at Wimbledon, but he has left no doubt about his goals for his third go-round at this most venerated of tennis competitions.

Persons: Carlos Alcaraz, Andy Murray, Alcaraz, Murray Organizations: Wimbledon, All England

☆ After a Fall, Venus Williams Is Eliminated on Wimbledon’s First Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But facing break point in the third game, Williams charged the net and then crumpled onto the grass with a scream as she clutched her right knee, which was wrapped in a support band. Williams remained on the ground for several minutes, with Svitolina placing a towel under her head for support. “I was literally killing it — then I got killed by the grass,” Williams said. The effort lasted just six games: Serena Williams had to withdraw in the first round because of an ankle injury. Serena Williams returned to Wimbledon last year at the start of what seems to have been a final summer of professional tennis, though one never knows these days.

Persons: Williams, Svitolina’s, —, ” Williams, “, Serena, Serena Williams Organizations: Svitolina, Wimbledon

☆ Ben and Bryan Shelton, Son and Father, Hit the Road as Player and Coach
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Matthew Futterman | Jane Stockdale | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last year, when Ben Shelton decided to leave college and turn professional, he wondered aloud to his father, Bryan, a former player on the men’s tennis tour, if they ought to embark on a venture together. Sorry, Bryan Shelton told his son, he already had a full-time job coaching at the University of Florida. Bryan Shelton handed the reins to Dean Goldfine, a highly respected coach who had previously worked with the former world No. Division I tennis tournament, the Sheltons announced that Ben had a new/old full-time coach. “It was the right time,” Bryan Shelton said.

Persons: Ben Shelton, Bryan, Bryan Shelton, Dean Goldfine, Andy Roddick, Ben, Florida’s, ” Bryan Shelton, Shelton, Taro Daniel Organizations: University of Florida, Gators, Wimbledon Locations: Gainesville, Fla

☆ Andy Murray Returns to Wimbledon a Man in Full and on a Mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In late May, with most of the world’s best tennis players focused on the red clay at the French Open, Sir Andy Murray was 300 miles away on the other side of the English Channel, dialed in on preparations for the grass at Wimbledon. But then his wife, Kim Sears, had to head up to Scotland for a few days to handle some business at the hotel she and Murray own. It’s all part of the next phase of Murray’s quixotic, late-career quest to finish his journey on his terms, metal hip and all. Maybe that means somehow recapturing the magic of 10 years ago, when he became the first British man in 77 years to win the most important title in his sport. Maybe it’s simply cracking the top 30 or 20 once more, proving wrong all the doctors and doubters who called him foolish for entertaining a future in professional tennis after hip resurfacing surgery in 2019.

Persons: Sir Andy Murray, Kim Sears, Murray, quixotic, doubters Locations: Scotland, Roehampton

☆ Before Wimbledon, There’s Practice on Grass at an English Garden Party
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Even for the best tennis players in the world, the days before a Grand Slam can be filled with nerves and stress, especially the time leading up to Wimbledon, the grandest Grand Slam of them all. Days can become a blur of hunting for hitting partners and time on the limited practice courts a tournament has available, or one last try to win some tour-level matches at competitions in Eastbourne or Majorca. A handful of pros, including several clients of Patricio Apey, a longtime agent, end up at a classic English garden party called the Boodles that is unlike nearly anything else on the tennis calendar — a Gatsby-like few days on an estate outside London that makes Wimbledon’s All England Club, supposedly the apotheosis of tennis elegance, feel like a gathering of the masses at the local park.

Persons: Patricio Apey Organizations: Wimbledon, England Club Locations: Eastbourne, Majorca, London

☆ Novak Djokovic Captures the French Open and a 23rd Grand Slam Title
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Novak Djokovic reached the top of the tennis mountain on Sunday, dominating Casper Ruud in straight sets to win the French Open men’s singles title for a third time and so much more. With the most momentous championship of his remarkable career so far, Djokovic has staked his claim to being the greatest male tennis player in history, with a record 23 Grand Slam tournament singles titles. Djokovic defeated Ruud, 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5. On his second match point, Djokovic induced Ruud into a final forehand off the court and collapsed on his back. “I feel I have the power to create my own destiny,” Djokovic said from the podium during the trophy celebration.

Persons: Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, Djokovic, Ruud, “, ” Djokovic, ”

☆ Iga Swiatek Grabs Another French Open Championship
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Matthew Futterman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For more than a year that has been Swiatek’s signature, and it’s exactly what she did to Muchova on Saturday. There was a time two years ago when she was among the most creative players in the world. Now Swiatek doesn’t build winning points as much as she seizes them, going for winners with her big, rolling forehand at the first opportunity. Swiatek had her first break of Muchova’s serve and the lead after just seven minutes. She led 6-2, 3-0 after an hour, while Muchova was still trying to find her footing.

Persons: hustles, she’s, Taylor, Swiatek, Muchova

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